Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
Innovation and social entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid - A conceptual framework
Submitted: 23 May 2013 | Published: 07 December 2013
About the author(s)
Taimoor Pervez, Swinburne University of Technology, AustraliaAlex Maritz,
Anton De Waal, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Full Text:
PDF (568KB)Abstract
The research aims to identify key success criteria for innovations by enterprises targeting the bottom of the pyramid. Innovation, social entrepreneurship and the bottom of the economic pyramid are defined in the light of academic literature and their varied criteria are explored. The two different academic opinions on fortune or opportunity existing in the BOP markets are also contrasted. The research philosophy is based on realism and the research methodology selected is inductive. The data have been collected through secondary sources using case study strategy to present four cases of innovations by social or corporate enterprises at the BOP. The case studies have been chosen from a variable range in terms of BOP countries, social enterprises and multinational companies, for-profit or not-for-profit organisations, and product or business model innovations. Success criteria identified from case studies in the light of academic literature include going beyond selling to the poor, considering BOP groups as producers and BOP engagement. A conceptual framework has been developed from identified criteria and further recommendations for empirically testing the framework to turn it into a model have been provided.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 6510Total article views: 13795
Crossref Citations
1. One person's trash is another person's treasure: In search of an efficient property regime for waste in the Global South
Giuseppe Danese
Waste Management vol: 128 first page: 251 year: 2021
doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.04.061
2. A Systematic Review of Disruptive Innovation on Entrepreneurship
Nurul Aryani, Agung Purnomo, Satria Fadil Persada, Michael Nayat Young, Elsa Rosyidah, Yogi Tri Prasetyo, Riyan Sisiawan Putra
Procedia Computer Science vol: 234 first page: 1236 year: 2024
doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2024.03.120
3. Analyzing Base-of-the-Pyramid Research from a (Sustainable) Supply Chain Perspective
Raja Usman Khalid, Stefan Seuring
Journal of Business Ethics vol: 155 issue: 3 first page: 663 year: 2019
doi: 10.1007/s10551-017-3474-x
4. Social Enterprise Performance in South Africa: The Role of Strategic Planning and Networking Capability
Willie Chinyamurindi, Motshedisi Mathibe, Progress Hove-Sibanda
Journal of Social Entrepreneurship vol: 16 issue: 3 first page: 771 year: 2025
doi: 10.1080/19420676.2023.2212672
5. Interestingly it's innovation: Reviewing sustainability performance management in the base of the pyramid (BoP)
Sadaf Aman, Stefan Seuring
Technovation vol: 112 first page: 102394 year: 2022
doi: 10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102394
6. A Hybrid Grey Decision Methodology in Social Sustainable Supplier Selection
Hadi Nasseri, Han-Kwang Chen, Kuang-Zong Huo, Yen-Fen Lo
Sustainability vol: 15 issue: 15 first page: 11777 year: 2023
doi: 10.3390/su151511777
7. Cocreation at the Base of the Pyramid
Tytti Nahi
Organization & Environment vol: 29 issue: 4 first page: 416 year: 2016
doi: 10.1177/1086026616652666
8. Social media and the bottom of the pyramid: a systematic literature review and future research agenda
Jitender Kumar, Archit Vinod Tapar, Somraj Bhattacharjee
International Journal of Emerging Markets vol: 20 issue: 2 first page: 805 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/IJOEM-08-2022-1340
9. AN EXTENDED CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR PRODUCT-MARKET INNOVATION
GERRIT A. DE WAAL
International Journal of Innovation Management vol: 20 issue: 05 first page: 1640008 year: 2016
doi: 10.1142/S1363919616400089
10. Learning by solving as a pedagogical approach to inclusive health innovation
Trust Saidi, Donné van der Westhuizen, Nailah Conrad, Tinashe Mutsvangwa, Tania S. Douglas
Development Southern Africa vol: 37 issue: 3 first page: 418 year: 2020
doi: 10.1080/0376835X.2019.1640662
11. Value supply chains at the base of the pyramid: studies of past and present textile networks
Sameer Prasad, James Jaffe, Kuntal Bhattacharyya, Jasmine Tata, Donna Marshall
Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management vol: 7 issue: 3 first page: 304 year: 2017
doi: 10.1108/JHLSCM-02-2017-0002
12. Paths out of poverty: Social entrepreneurship and sustainable development
Xiaoyi Zhang, Yu Sun, Yang Gao, Yueqi Dong
Frontiers in Psychology vol: 13 year: 2022
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1062669
13. Developing greener food value chains: environmentally friendly tomato post-harvest operations in four cities
Martin Hilmi Martin Hilmi
Food Chain vol: 6 issue: 1 first page: 22 year: 2016
doi: 10.3362/2046-1887.2016.002
14. Social Entrepreneurship in Professional Sports: Antecedents and Outcomes from the Consumer Perspective
Chen-Yueh Chen, Yi-Hsiu Lin
Sustainability vol: 13 issue: 3 first page: 1045 year: 2021
doi: 10.3390/su13031045
15. Putting sustainable supply chain management into base of the pyramid research
Raja Usman Khalid, Stefan Seuring, Philip Beske, Anna Land, Sadaat Ali Yawar, Ralf Wagner
Supply Chain Management: An International Journal vol: 20 issue: 6 first page: 681 year: 2015
doi: 10.1108/SCM-06-2015-0214
16. How Frugal Innovation Promotes Social Sustainability
Rakhshanda Khan
Sustainability vol: 8 issue: 10 first page: 1034 year: 2016
doi: 10.3390/su8101034
17. Types of innovation in social entrepreneurship: categorization based on a systematic literature review employing the TCCM framework
Martyna Wronka-Pośpiech, Agnieszka Pacut, Norbert Laurisz, Paweł Mikołajczak, Izabella Steinerowska-Streb, Agnieszka Żur
Central European Management Journal first page: 1 year: 2026
doi: 10.1108/CEMJ-07-2024-0222